Beginnings
by gilmorefanforever
Summary: “New Year’s isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning.” Ringing in the New Year with Booth and Brennan. There's quite a lot of fun to be had. BB Oneshot.


Beginnings

**Disclaimer: **Ha! Good one!

I guess I lied about "More Than That" being my last post of the year. This little New Year's Eve piece was too fun to pass up. Not to mention that I really wanted to hit thirty stories before '08 came to a close. This was certainly an… interesting year, and I'm sad to see it end. Hopefully 2009 will be a good one! Anyway, enjoy!

**--**

The room was dark, the music was loud, and the excited chit-chat of the various party-goers was even louder. Brennan stared into her Martini glass; stirring the liquid with a small straw and watching it spin around the glass. She sighed. Angela had dragged her to the party, but since they had walked through the door, her best friend had been nowhere to be seen.

"Well, aren't you the life of the party," said a voice from the seat next to her. She looked up, startled, unaware that someone had joined her. When she realized she knew the man who was now smiling at her, she relaxed, taking a sip of her drink.

"I don't know what that means."

"I'm not surprised." Booth raised a hand, ordering a drink of his own. "You look sad."

Brennan shrugged. "It's New Year's Eve."

"Exactly." Booth thanked the bartender as he placed a tall glass of beer in front of him. "Who's sad on New Year's Eve?"

"I am, apparently." She sighed, and then turned to her partner in interest. "What are you doing here?"

"You're in a bar, and it's New Year's Eve," he said. "I should be asking you what _you're_ doing here."

"Angela," she offered simply.

Booth nodded in understanding. "Why don't you like New Year's Eve?"

"I never said I didn't like it, Booth. Stop making assumptions."

"Right. You know what they say about those."

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "What do they say?"

"I forgot who I was talking to, obviously," he muttered. Then to her, "It's not important."

"If you say so."

"Seriously, Bones, I'm curious. What's wrong with New Year's?"

"Nothing's wrong with it." Another sip. "I'm just not fond of endings."

"Ah, you're a pessimist. Bet you think that glass," he gestured to the drink in front of him, "is half empty, too."

Brennan cocked her head to the side, studying the glass. "It's actually approximately one-third, empty. Math isn't your strong suit, is it?"

Booth took a drink and sighed. "Not the point."

"Now it's about half empty," Brennan mused. "Was that your intention with that drink?"

"Bones, sometimes I wonder if you listen to the things to say." He chuckled. "New Year's isn't an ending. It's a beginning."

"I suppose, technically, that's true."

"It's not just technically true, it's _true _true."

"True true?" she questioned. "Sometimes I wonder if _you_ listen to the things _you _say."

Booth ignored her. "All year, we go around making stupid mistakes, building up regrets. But on January first, we have a chance for that to all go away. To start over with a clean slate and resolve to make ourselves better."

"We can't really start over," Brennan argued. "We can wish we can. We can pretend we do. But just because the numbers at the end of the date are different, it doesn't mean the past is. All those regrets and mistakes are still there. We're still the same people."

"Jeez, Bones. You're depressing me." He shook his head then sang quietly. "'Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?"

Brennan grinned. "I'm impressed you know that."

Booth flashed a smile back at her, winking. "I know a lot of things, Dr. Brennan, and quite a few of them are impressive."

Warmth pooled in her cheeks, although she wasn't sure if was from what he said or the suggestive tone he had whispered it in. Either way, she glanced down for a second, embarrassed by her feminine reaction, then looked back up, where Booth was still smiling.

"Hey," he said. "Dance with me."

She laughed. "What?"

"Dancing. You know, movement of the body, often to music." He demonstrated by swaying back and forth on his stool.

"I'm aware of what dancing is, Booth. I'm just not sure why you're asking me to do it with you."

"Because we're at a party? Because we're probably the only two souls in this entire place sitting down?" He jumped to his feet. "And now you are the only one. That's sad. You should probably get up and join me."

"I don't like to dance."

"I have seen you dance, Bones."

"I didn't say I was incapable of dancing. I said I just don't like to."

Booth sighed dramatically. "One dance won't kill you. And I am an excellent dance partner."

She didn't doubt that. "No."

"One song." He held out a hand. "Please."

"Fine." She placed her hand in his. "One song."

Booth lead her out onto the dance floor, where she glanced around apprehensively at the bodies bouncing up and down to the generic pop song blasting over the speakers. To her surprise, Booth spun her, and she landed in his arms, slightly disoriented. "Having fun yet, Bones?"

She blinked. "I have this terrible feeling I'm going to get crushed to death."

"Now, Bones," he reprimanded, moving with unexpected grace to the beat, "would I let that happen to you?"

Before she could answer, the song they were dancing to ended, and a new one started. Brennan smirked. "Oh look, one song's over." She turned to go back to her stool, but Booth grabbed her wrist.

"That wasn't even a full song! One more."

It didn't seem logical to argue. So the partners twirled and bounced their way through another song, and after that, Brennan found herself agreeing to another. Soon enough, all thoughts of protesting were gone, and Brennan began to enjoy herself. As the opening notes of what had to be the first slow song of the evening rang out, she leaned against Booth's chest, exhausted and smiling.

"Okay, _now_ you're having fun," he pointed out.

"Well, you were right. You are an excellent dance partner."

"Oh, I know."

"Modest, too."

Booth spun her again. "Look in the thesaurus. Next to 'humble' it says 'Seeley Booth'." He glanced around the room. "Why is everything suddenly so calm, you think? This is the first semi-relaxing thing I've heard all night."

"It's probably almost midnight," Brennan guessed. "Why don't you check?"

Booth nodded, pulling out his cell phone and flipping it open. "11:56," he said with a nod. "The DJ's probably giving all the girls a chance to put on some cherry flavored lip gloss."

"What for?" Brennan asked.

"Well, for the kiss at midnight." He glanced up in alarm, as did Brennan when she realized what he said.

"Oh, right," she said with a nervous laugh. "I must have forgotten."

"Yeah…"

They danced in silence after that, both barely managing to keep time as they thought about what would come at midnight. Finally, the song came to an end, and a deep voice came on, announcing that it was almost time to ring in the New Year.

"Have you got a girl waiting for you to come sweep her off her feet, Booth?" Brennan asked jokingly.

Booth laughed. "If I did, she'd probably be pretty pissed that I've been with you all night." He squeezed her hand, sensing the tension. "You don't have to kiss at midnight, you know."

"I know," she confirmed. Over their conversation, it was announced that there was less than a minute left. "It's just a tradition."

"Silly tradition…" he commented.

She nodded absentmindedly as the entire crowd gathered shouted out "Ten!"

"I bet Angela has about five men fighting over who gets to kiss her," Brennan commented.

"Nine! Eight!"

"That does seem like Angela," Booth agreed.

"Seven!"

"She's surely loving every minute of it."

"Six!"

"I bet! Where are all the other Squints tonight?"

"I'm not sure, actually. I'll have to ask them when I see them."

"Five! Four!"

"I never got to ask you, Bones. What's your New Year's Resolution?"

"I don't have one," Brennan admitted. "I think they're rather silly."

"Three!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Two!"

Booth turned to her. "Mine's to take more chances."

"Wha—"

"One! Happy New Year!"

They both leaned forward at exactly the same time, and their lips met in the middle. Their kiss was short, but sweet, and when they broke apart, both were smiling.

"Happy New Year, Bones," Booth whispered.

"Happy New Year, indeed," she said. Then, regretfully, "I should go find Angela. Wish her happy New Year, and such."

Booth looked surprised, and hurt. "Oh, I guess you should probably—"

Brennan gave him another quick kiss, assuring him that this wasn't just a way to get out of an awkward situation. "Make sure you come find me before you leave, alright?"

Booth grinned. "Can do."

Brennan pushed her way through the crowd, finally finding her best friend, who had apparently been looking for her as well. "Sweetie!" Angela exclaimed when she saw her. "I was worried you'd left! Sorry I abandoned you! Did you have fun?"

Brennan nodded. She had had more fun than she could explain. "Happy New Year."

Angela sighed. "It was quite a year, huh? It feels weird to think that this is the end."

With a smile and a quick glance behind her, where she knew her partner was waiting, Brennan shook her head. "I actually like to think of it as the beginning."

**--**

_Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
And never brought to mind ?  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
And days o' lang syne ?_

-"Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns

**--**

Once again, I hope you all have a happy New Year!

One review equals one "brotherly" kiss for Booth and Brennan. You _do_ want BB to kiss, don't you?


End file.
